There once lived this wise old woman in the vast desert of the African Sahara. No one ever could understand how she survived out there in the scorching heat and without water for weeks. The only reason people know that there is an old lady living in the desert is because she comes in once a year, when the moon is red, to buy food from the markets and drink water. Children grew up being taught that this woman was evil and was a witch, which was not meant to be fussed with. She lived for years and years without one visitor, until little Tiki came across her home in the most accidental of situations.
It was Tiki's ninth birthday, the day when most boys in the tribe became men. In order to prove his manhood, Tiki had to go into the desert for five days and survive and bring back an item that represents the coming of age journey that he is going on. It was day one now and his mother and sister were packing his sack with food and water for him to drink for the next five days. He walked to the edge of the village were the vast stretch of desert begins. He hugged his family and begans to walk.
Not an hour passed before the first sandstorm came out of nowhere, blowing right into Tiki's eyes and mouth, blinding him from what was happening around him. Tiki was so scared at this point that he began to cry. He stopped where he was and just lay there, continuing to cry, while still the sand blew over his body like a blanket. After the storm had subsided Tiki found himself buried alive in the sand, with no sense of what direction was up. He was quickly losing breath and was scared for his life, so he began to dig. About fifteen minutes into the dig, he started to reach moist sand and soon enough the sand was soaked in water. This might have been a good sign for Tiki, if it didn't mean that he has been digging in the wrong direction. Soon enough Tiki lay in the tunnel in which he had dug himself, gasping for air and at the point of just giving up. Just as he closed his eyes to give up, a hand began to pull on his. Slow but surely Tiki emerged from the sand, dirty and in a daze. He gathered himself and looked around to see who had pulled him out of the sand, and there was nobody there.
As Tiki continued his walk to the middle of the desert, in the distance he saw what seemed to be an oasis of water and lush greenery. Considering he has been in the desert for hours and had lost his water and food in the sandstorm, he was in no position to pass up this opportunity. As he got closer and closer to the oasis he began to think of the countless stories of mirages and people seeing an oasis and when they got closer to it, it began to slowly disappear. So as he got closer and closer he noticed that it wasn't disappearing; it must be an actual oasis. He began to run faster and faster until he actually reached the oasis. He just snatched fruit off of every tree he saw and ran to the nearest watering hole to take a swim. As he swam he noticed the water teeming with life and masses of animal life wandering around. After swimming and eating for a while, Tiki gots out of the water to put his clothing back on; when all of a sudden he felt a sharp pain in his neck, and then he passed out.
As Tiki began to open his eyes, he was overwhelmed with the smell of animals. He looked around and noticed that he was in a house. Whose house, he did not know. He also noticed that he was in a bed and in surroundings not of his memory. As he began to walk through the house towards the front door, the door slowly swung open, and there, peering at him was an old lady with a cane in her left hand struggling to walk into the house due to old age. She was no larger than he, at about 20 coconuts high. She smiled at Tiki and walked in the house as if he was a family member. Almost was if she were going to walk right through him, she walks right up to his face. Tiki asked her of how he came to be in this house and where he was. She responded by telling him that she had been watching him since he had left his home, and she was the hand that pulled him from his sandy grave. She continued to tell of how she was the one who shot the dart at him, causing him to black out as she dragged him to her house. Tiki made a dash for the door, in fear of his life. As he reached the door, it closed and locked. As if possessed by a magical spell, he lifted up from the ground and floated towards her. The old lady began to speak.
She asked him of his business in her desert. He responded by telling her that he was there because he was supposed to spend five days in the dessert and not come back until he had found something that represented his coming of age experience. She laughed and once she composed herself told him that she was going to help him with his journey.
She told him to, “Go to the Tree of the White in the depths of the watering hole and there you will find what you are looking for.” Confused beyond belief, Tiki began to walk to the watering hole. As he stood at the edge of the watering hole ready to dive in, he realized that he could not hold his breath long enough to reach the tree. Out of thin air, the voice of the old lady spoke. “If you eat the seaweed at bottom of the lake, then you will be able to breathe.” Hesitantly, Tiki jumps into the water and begins to swim into the depths of the water. He reaches the bottom on the lake and finds the white tree shimmering in the water unlike anything he had ever seen before. Before he reached the tree, the voice of the old woman cames back, and she told him to grab some seaweed for her because it helps her with her health and not to get distracted by anything besides what he had gone for. She emphasized the fact that he should not forget to bring her seaweed or else she will not live for much longer.
Tiki swam to the seaweed, took some and ate it for himself; he then proceeded to the White Tree. As he approached the tree he began to hear women's voices singing. The song was so irresistible that he continued to swim around the tree in a panic trying to find the source of the sound. He found an entrance at the root of the tree and swam inside. He found a room of endless gold, enough gold to feed his whole village for years and years to come. He grabbed a handful of gold and started swimming to the surface, not remembering to bring the old lady some seaweed.
As soon as he reached the surface of the lake, he looked around to find himself surrounded by sand again. For miles and miles sand surrounded him. He looked down toward where he came from, and his whole bottom waist was below sand. Everything that was lush green and plenty was now sand, and lots of it. The old lady appeared in front of him, but not a solid human but as a mirage. She told him that because of his greed and selfishness he had cost himself and his tribe an opportunity to prosper, because he forgot to bring her seaweed. She disappeared and left him in the middle of nowhere by himself. Tiki got up from his position and in a complete daze began to walk, in what direction neither I nor he knows, but he began to walk. For the remainder of his life, he just walked around the desert constantly thinking of the great mistake he made. Till this day, legend has it that he wanders the desert, and people claim to have spotted the walking man but not being able to catch up.
It was Tiki's ninth birthday, the day when most boys in the tribe became men. In order to prove his manhood, Tiki had to go into the desert for five days and survive and bring back an item that represents the coming of age journey that he is going on. It was day one now and his mother and sister were packing his sack with food and water for him to drink for the next five days. He walked to the edge of the village were the vast stretch of desert begins. He hugged his family and begans to walk.
Not an hour passed before the first sandstorm came out of nowhere, blowing right into Tiki's eyes and mouth, blinding him from what was happening around him. Tiki was so scared at this point that he began to cry. He stopped where he was and just lay there, continuing to cry, while still the sand blew over his body like a blanket. After the storm had subsided Tiki found himself buried alive in the sand, with no sense of what direction was up. He was quickly losing breath and was scared for his life, so he began to dig. About fifteen minutes into the dig, he started to reach moist sand and soon enough the sand was soaked in water. This might have been a good sign for Tiki, if it didn't mean that he has been digging in the wrong direction. Soon enough Tiki lay in the tunnel in which he had dug himself, gasping for air and at the point of just giving up. Just as he closed his eyes to give up, a hand began to pull on his. Slow but surely Tiki emerged from the sand, dirty and in a daze. He gathered himself and looked around to see who had pulled him out of the sand, and there was nobody there.
As Tiki continued his walk to the middle of the desert, in the distance he saw what seemed to be an oasis of water and lush greenery. Considering he has been in the desert for hours and had lost his water and food in the sandstorm, he was in no position to pass up this opportunity. As he got closer and closer to the oasis he began to think of the countless stories of mirages and people seeing an oasis and when they got closer to it, it began to slowly disappear. So as he got closer and closer he noticed that it wasn't disappearing; it must be an actual oasis. He began to run faster and faster until he actually reached the oasis. He just snatched fruit off of every tree he saw and ran to the nearest watering hole to take a swim. As he swam he noticed the water teeming with life and masses of animal life wandering around. After swimming and eating for a while, Tiki gots out of the water to put his clothing back on; when all of a sudden he felt a sharp pain in his neck, and then he passed out.
As Tiki began to open his eyes, he was overwhelmed with the smell of animals. He looked around and noticed that he was in a house. Whose house, he did not know. He also noticed that he was in a bed and in surroundings not of his memory. As he began to walk through the house towards the front door, the door slowly swung open, and there, peering at him was an old lady with a cane in her left hand struggling to walk into the house due to old age. She was no larger than he, at about 20 coconuts high. She smiled at Tiki and walked in the house as if he was a family member. Almost was if she were going to walk right through him, she walks right up to his face. Tiki asked her of how he came to be in this house and where he was. She responded by telling him that she had been watching him since he had left his home, and she was the hand that pulled him from his sandy grave. She continued to tell of how she was the one who shot the dart at him, causing him to black out as she dragged him to her house. Tiki made a dash for the door, in fear of his life. As he reached the door, it closed and locked. As if possessed by a magical spell, he lifted up from the ground and floated towards her. The old lady began to speak.
She asked him of his business in her desert. He responded by telling her that he was there because he was supposed to spend five days in the dessert and not come back until he had found something that represented his coming of age experience. She laughed and once she composed herself told him that she was going to help him with his journey.
She told him to, “Go to the Tree of the White in the depths of the watering hole and there you will find what you are looking for.” Confused beyond belief, Tiki began to walk to the watering hole. As he stood at the edge of the watering hole ready to dive in, he realized that he could not hold his breath long enough to reach the tree. Out of thin air, the voice of the old lady spoke. “If you eat the seaweed at bottom of the lake, then you will be able to breathe.” Hesitantly, Tiki jumps into the water and begins to swim into the depths of the water. He reaches the bottom on the lake and finds the white tree shimmering in the water unlike anything he had ever seen before. Before he reached the tree, the voice of the old woman cames back, and she told him to grab some seaweed for her because it helps her with her health and not to get distracted by anything besides what he had gone for. She emphasized the fact that he should not forget to bring her seaweed or else she will not live for much longer.
Tiki swam to the seaweed, took some and ate it for himself; he then proceeded to the White Tree. As he approached the tree he began to hear women's voices singing. The song was so irresistible that he continued to swim around the tree in a panic trying to find the source of the sound. He found an entrance at the root of the tree and swam inside. He found a room of endless gold, enough gold to feed his whole village for years and years to come. He grabbed a handful of gold and started swimming to the surface, not remembering to bring the old lady some seaweed.
As soon as he reached the surface of the lake, he looked around to find himself surrounded by sand again. For miles and miles sand surrounded him. He looked down toward where he came from, and his whole bottom waist was below sand. Everything that was lush green and plenty was now sand, and lots of it. The old lady appeared in front of him, but not a solid human but as a mirage. She told him that because of his greed and selfishness he had cost himself and his tribe an opportunity to prosper, because he forgot to bring her seaweed. She disappeared and left him in the middle of nowhere by himself. Tiki got up from his position and in a complete daze began to walk, in what direction neither I nor he knows, but he began to walk. For the remainder of his life, he just walked around the desert constantly thinking of the great mistake he made. Till this day, legend has it that he wanders the desert, and people claim to have spotted the walking man but not being able to catch up.